Letters

Same old solutions

Jack Straw's options to alleviate prison overcrowding will fail to produce a significant fall in the prison population (Space probe, February 27). His measures - increase the number of prison places, encourage sentencers to use non-custodial sentences, and use the discretion built into the sentence when recalling prisoners - have been unsuccessful in the past in lowering the numbers in prison.

There are two elements that will have an impact on prisoner numbers in the coming years. The first is the state of the economy. As the economy goes steadily into recession the country will see an increase in crime. Several researchers at the Home Office and elsewhere have demonstrated that crime rates and the economy have a reciprocal relationship with one rising as the other falls.

The second element is the provision of prison places. Forty years ago the country was struggling to provide 30,000 prison places. The government's response was to increase the capacity of the prison estate. Today Straw is responding in the same way and no doubt this decision will see the prison population top 100,000 in the next four years.Ian SparlingRochester, Kent

Care in confinement

Given the extraordinary prevalence of mental health problems and drug and alcohol abuse among prisoners, Peter Mason (Healing effect, February 27) is right to demand better healthcare and to suggest alternative methods of providing it. One of the government's better reforms of the penal system was the transfer of responsibility for the prison medical service to the NHS.

If local government is to promote the prevention of reoffending, local council health scrutiny panels need to give higher priority to the healthcare of prisoners during and after their confinement.Sir Jeremy Beechamvice chairman, Local Government Association

Vigorous strategy

It was pleasing to see in Alexandra Topping's article (There's no place like home, February 27) that the government's potentially historic housing strategy for an ageing population drew a largely positive response. Inevitably, perhaps, there were a few discordant notes. For example, Mervyn Kohler noted that "the tone is positive and admirable, but we need to see this strategy implemented with real vigour".

The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) recognised that the strategy would make a difference only if local communities, led by councils, responded vigorously and with both imagination and sound planning.

That is why the DCLG worked with the Housing Learning and Improvement Partnership, part of the Care Services Improvement Partnership, on a practical toolkit-style guide to local authorities and their partners on implementing the strategy locally.Jeremy Porteusnational programme lead, CSIP Networks

A sea change

Regarding plans for a new reservoir (Lost horizons, February 27). You can have the water and you can keep the oaks, wildlife and farm intact. How? By spending a little extra and making use of the sea.

Here in Brighton, vast new tower blocks with more than 3,000 luxury flats are planned for the marina, and another even larger development is planned at the King Alfred Centre in Hove. Both are located directly on the seashore and would lend themselves ideally to incorporating their own desalination plants, with energy derived from their own wave and tidal appliances.

Costly? Yes. But what price the alternatives of destroying our heritage and wildlife at Plashett Park Farm?Hans LobsteinBrighton